Hamilton, MO and the Missouri Star Quilt Co

When we originally made plans for the trip to Sedalia, Mary made it quite clear that we were not leaving Missouri without a trip to Hamilton and the Missouri Star Quilt Co. The reason for this is that for over the years she has done considerable business with this company and must feel like she owns just a part of it. So, after Escapade, it was off to Hamilton. We stayed at a quiet, totally out of the way, small, RV Park about 10-12 miles from Hamilton. For the first 3 days that we were there, we thought we might be the ONLY ones staying there. We had a nice spot, full hookups, and privacy. We were the only ones there.

Us, at Soggy Bottom Camp. With the whole place to ourselves.

It didn't take long for us to find Hamilton. Hamilton is a relatively small town with a population of about 1800 and stands at an elevation of 988'. Some difference from Santa Fe with an elevation of over 7000' .  Downtown Hamilton is dominated by the Missouri Star Quilt Co and is made famous by the fact that J C Penney was born here and opened his first store here.

Wall murals are a thing here

Mans World, downtown Hamilton. While the wife shops, something for the man to do.

Good beer. And a good place to have lunch.

Like I said, murals are popular here

Oh yes, another mural

Lunch plaza

Sewing, Quilt Shops everywhere

Mary had a good time here. Kind of neat to actually see the place that you have been experiencing only over the Internet for years. And then we were off to Chanute, KS and some service work on our Mobile Suites Trailer.

Escapade - Sedalia, MO

Our stay in Sedalia, MO began on 5/22/18 and ended on 6/3/18. We came to Sedalia for the Escapees annual Escapade which was held at the Missouri State Fair Grounds. It is an enormous complex and one that would quite easily handle the expected 800 + RV'ers rigs. We arrived about 5 days before the actual start as we were on the Escapade Staff - me with the Property Team and Mary as part of the Crafts Team.

Our spot in the Staff parking area just after we arrived. Wasn't long before this entire area was full.

As part of the Property Team, we were responsible for coordinating with the Fairgrounds Staff in getting the Main Hall, Classrooms, Bootcamp Classroom, Vendor Area, The Row(Area clubs),  meeting rooms, and Hospitality areas set up. We had a great group to work with- both the Fairgrounds people, and our own Property Group. After a couple of days, it was time for the Staff Happy Hour.

And a good time was had by all!

After 4 days of watching fellow Escapees arrive, to the tune of about 800 rigs, it was time for the Opening Welcoming Ceremonies held at 3:00 on the Sunday afternoon and the Opening Day nightly entertainment which began at 7:00.

Opening Ceremony in Matheson Hall. Crowd estimate was about 1800.

View from above

Opening Night entertainment was Storyteller Bill Lepp. He was unbelievable!

One of the "look forward to" events every Escapade is Paul Evert RV Happy Hour. Every day is a different theme, like Margarita Monday, 2 shot tuesdays, Wine Wednesdays, etc. And a good time is
had by all......As part of the Property Team, we generally had to deliver 20-40 bags of ice each day.

Yes, all the coolers were full. And yes, it was generally the Escapade Staff that was there first! Afterall, we had to deliver the ice.

Day 2 nightly entertainment was acclaimed Illusionist Rezza. Hailing from Sioux Falls, SD, he is a fixture in Branson, MO. His show was absolutely unbelievable. What made it even more special was the fact that we(the Property Team) had to help get him set up in the afternoon. A very likeable person. His show is highlighted with audience participation. He did not disappoint.

The Crafts Area that Mary & Roz oversaw. Definitely an improvement over the previous Escapade and it was reflected in attendance & interest. 

Oh, yes. Another Happy Hour at Paul Evert's RV Country

Mary actually made the big screen at one of the nightly gatherings

Part of our Property group getting ready for another day- which MUST begin with coffee and donuts. Richard & Hazel are from England.

The Property Team

It was kind of amazing how fast the time flew. Before we knew it we were attending closing ceremony. And so ends another Escapade. Till next year in Tucson.

Elephant Butte and Santa Fe

It was tough leaving Rusty's RV Park. We really enjoy our time there. But leave we had to and it was off to Elephant Butte State Park in NM for a one week stay. Elephant Butte SP is quite a place. On the weekends it fills up with a lot of the people coming from the Albuquerque and El Paso, TX areas to take advantage of the water, boating opportunities, fishing, camping.  The boat launch area on the weekends is really quite busy.

 While there we took advantage of birding down at Caballo Lake SP. It is a pretty well known birding area and is prime migration area. We are seriously considering a stay here next year as we leave AZ and then Rusty's RV Park and begin trip east.

When we left Elephant Butte, next stop was one of our favorites: Santa Fe and Santa Fe Skies RV Park.  The park sits up on a hill overlooking a lot of the area and the surrounding mountains- at an elevation of 7000'. It has quite a collection of old machinery on display......

One of the things that we planned to accomplish while in the area was to get Lexie spayed. Her time was right and we located a GOOD Vet actually quite close to us. And situated right next door to Santa Fe Brewery!

We brought her in early, like 8:00, and picked her up right after lunch. She was a little groggy, but none the worse for wear. We were both glad to get this behind us. Luckily for Lexie, the Vet did not think that one of those ugly collars was going to be needed. She gave us one just in case and asked that we keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn't spending time licking the incision. Lexie obliged by not licking, so she didn't have to experience the collar.

The Santa Fe area is really special to us and here are some examples of some of the things we like about the place....

We spent a couple of days here taking advantage of the tremendous birding opportunities.

No trip to Santa Fe is complete without a trip to Back Road Pizza. Simply the best. For Food and Nostalgia.

Touring the shops in downtown Santa Fe

The Plaza. We love to come here and just sit and observe and enjoy.

This trip to Santa Fe, we decided to "expand" our horizons just a bit by taking a day trip to Taos, an area we have never been to before. It was probably about 70 miles one way and a very enjoyable trip. Probably not one that I would do in the winter time however.

While here in Santa Fe, our Ford F350 diesel engine started making an unaccustomed noise. A trip to the local Ford dealer and our favorite diesel mechanic had the situation diagnosed. A 20 minute appointment the next day had the situation resolved. It turns out there was a Service Bulletin out  for this exact problem and a simple recalibration of the injectors remedied the problem. This same dealer and same mechanic got us out of our last diesel engine problem(exhaust filter issue) the last time that we had come through Santa Fe. So far, so good.

Our stay in Santa Fe was another good one. We have come to really enjoy our stays here and have already booked the next one when we come through this area in mid-August. And now it was time to be thinking about traveling to Sedalia, MO and the Escapees Escapade. We travelled south from Santa Fe and picked up I 40 in Clines Corners, NM, staying on I 40 to Amarillo, TX and an overnight stay and then to Chandler, OK for a 2 night stay. In Oklahoma City we picked up I 44 and travelled to Carthage, MO and another 2 night stay before the final stretch to Sedalia. All in all the trip from Santa Fe to Sedalia encompassed just under 1000 miles.

Rodeo, NM - Portal, AZ- Rusty's RV Park

Rusty's and the Rodeo Portal area have got to be one of our all time favorite places to visit. We came here first about 3 years ago, mainly to check the place out, but since then have made it a regular stop.

The view from our "yard". Those are the Chirichua Mountains off in the distance

Another view of those beautiful Mountains

Inside the clubhouse at Rusty's

Last friday here, Rusty and her husband cooked up Beer Battered Cod for all. Everyone brought something. It was a good meal. 

The birding group that was there the week before left this checklist of all the species they saw while here. I believe their final count was 103.

Just sitting outside our RV one day, Mary and I got to see quite a site. A
Roadrunner was walking down RV site drive next to ours when all of a sudden he broke in to a dead run and nailed a lizard near a bush not 30' from us. Unbelievable how fast they can run, not to mention how well they can see.

Where our little friend got his lizard

There are 2 things that Rusty's is noted for: Birding and Astronomy and people from both fields frequent this place for them. The astronomy part is easy to understand. You can go outside your rig at night and the night sky view is unbelievable. There is NO light pollution. It is dark. The stars are just so visable. There is absolutely nothing blocking your view. We haven't gotten too much in to the astronomy thing, but we have the bird thing. The part of the Chirichaua's we travel: Cave Creek Canyon, the Village of Portal, the town of Paradise, the Research Station  are all a part of what is referred to as Sky Islands. Elevation changes from 4000' at Portal to over 5000 at Paradise and the Research Station, to over 9000' at Rustler's Park host such divergent flora and fauna that there is a full time Research Station located there to accommodate the many scientists who come to this area to study. It is truly special.

This is a view of Cave Creek Canyon

And this is a view of South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon

The birding in this area is well known. People from everywhere come here to view the diverse bird population.

You get to see more than birds when you come here

A view up So Fork

The 2 guys that helped us to see and identify the Elegant Trogan

Everyone comes to this area at this time of the year to catch a glimpse of the Elegant Trogon. Very rare. And very rare to be seen. Well, we lucked out big time this year. Our second trip in to the South Fork area, we drove to the end, parked in the limited parking area, and started walking(we were able to get a parking spot because we got there early, like before 8:00). Not a hundred yards in, we heard its call. The Elegant Trogan's call definitely does not match its plummage. We followed the sound into the woods, where we came across the 2 guys I mentioned. They were looking up, way up into one of the trees. They were  so nice to motion us over and to then point out the Trogan up in the tree. It was unbelievable. Soon we had 4 more people there and it wasn't long before the Trogan flew away. We paused and listened, but nothing. Waited 15 minutes, gave up and headed back out to the main riverbed trail to continue. Mary and I were SO excited that we had gotten to see one. After spending another 20 minutes or so going up the riverbed trail we decided to head back down towards the parking lot and then down to the bridge, where we had seen a number of birds on previous visits. When we got back down to the parking lot, we started hearing the Trogan again. And so did everyone else that was there. Probably 5-10 people were starting in to the woods. Mary and I decided not to become part of the pack, so instead continued down towards the bridge. Well, to make a long story short, we found a spot on the river just above the bridge. We were alone and got to see a number of birds, including a Magnificent Hummingbird buzzing the water surface. Truly amazing to watch. Mary left after a while to go down to the bridge. I decided to stay. And was I rewarded. The commotion above us, had spooked the Trogon and the next thing that I knew, he was right there in front of me. I didn't have a camera with me, but if I did, this is what it would have looked like:

The Trogon was right in front of me, not 30' away. Thanks to new friend Art who had taken these pics 2 days before in this same area, and was nice enough to share them with me. I was probably looking at this same bird. As you can see, he is truly an Elegant bird.

I mentioned Art above. Mary and I met he and his wife while at another birding Hot Spot, Bob Rodrigues', in Portal. 

Bob Rodrigues' yard. All kinds of feeders, and all kinds of birds.

Art and his wife Martie. From Washington.

Other birding Hot Spots we try to hit each visit include:

• The Research Station
• The George Walker House

The Research Station:

Another really special place

While here, we took advantage of their birding area where they have a number of Hummingbird Feeders. We sat there for about 40 minutes just watching the Hummers. Amazing!

The George Walker House is really special. Jackie L literally opens her house to birders. She has a yard filled with feeders, and a welcoming porch for you to sit and observe. And people like us, from all over the world do come to take advantage of her feeders and her hospitality. And of course, she is always around to help with ID'ing birds. We can't begin to thank her enough.....

Mary with Jackie's dog Bojangles

Check out the Coati in the tree after treats

He saw me!

Mary & Bojangles on the porch

A view of the yard and some of the feeders

The George Walker House

Last on the list of things to do in the area is a visit to the Chirichua Desert Museum. We always manage to stop here and leave some money. You know, books, souvenirs etc.

That is what you call a Rattler

Seen along the way

Well that about covers our trip here this year. We are already making plans for next year, and for sure, we will be staying for more than 1 week. The birding is just that good. Hopefully we can meet up with our new friends Art and Martie and I can show him the new camera that I am going to buy - thanks to his recommendation. Can't miss an opportunity for a pic like he took of the Trogon. On Sunday, 4/29 we head out from Rodeo, NM and travel to Elephant Butte State Park in NM.